Villebois-Lavalette () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It was the seat of the former Canton of Villebois-Lavalette, and is located on a prominent hill which has a

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

dating back to

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

times. In the centre of the old town, there is an old wooden covered market that dates back to the 16th century. It was restored in the 19th century and is now a historic monument. There is a small, but lively market every Saturday morning. A 17th-century

sundial A sundial is a horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat ...

can be seen on a house that overlooks the market hall. The town is a reasonably small one with banks, cash machines, newsagent, 2 chemists, 2 boulangeries, a tourism office, garages, a large supermarket, doctors/dentists, builder's supply store, cafe, hotel and restaurant. Villebois-Lavalette 16 Les Halles 2014

History

The town gets its name from its location on the main Roman road from

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a communes of France, commune in the Dordogne departments of France, department, in the administrative regions of France, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux i ...

to Saintes. It is thought to be named after a "town located in the woods next to the river Ne" (Ville - town, boisne - wood next to Ne). There is another possible explanation - that it was originally called "Villa bovis" or place of the ox. The 180-metre-high hill upon which the town and château are now located had been the site of a Gallic

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

and a Roman

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...

until in the 8th century, a château was started to be built by the Fulcher family. It was continued by the Helie family and finally completed in the 12th century by the Ithier family. Ithier was a powerful lord who participated in the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

and erected a Romanesque chapel in the château close to the outside wall that was used by pilgrims of

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

as refuge and accommodation. In the 13th century, the

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

family (the

Count of Angoulême Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

), added 2 parts to the primitive chapel, enlarged the château's enclosure and walls, and built 7 towers to turn it into a formidable fortress. Because of its commanding position, it became a much sought after location. In the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

occupied it until it was reclaimed by the

Duke of Berry Duke of Berry (french: Duc de Berry) or Duchess of Berry (french: Duchesse de Berry) was a title in the Peerage of France. The Duchy of Berry, centred on Bourges, was originally created as an appanage for junior members of the French royal family ...

in 1376. During the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

, the town and château was taken by the

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

until they were overthrown by the

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. In 1589, the Knight of Aubeterre (leader of the League of Angoumois), transformed the château into a garrison for troops. The Duke of Epernon besieged it and forced out the troops by using large canons. In 1597,

Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette (1554–1642), created Duke of Épernon, was a powerful member of the French nobility at the turn of the 17th century. He was deeply involved in plots and politics throughout his life. Life He was born at C ...

, Duke of Epernon, Governor of the Angoumois from 1554–1642, acquired the land around the town and established it as a duchy under the name of Lavalette. So from 1622 onwards, the town took the name Villebois-Lavalette. The Duke of Navaille purchased the château in 1660 and rebuilt a princely castle. Only one wall was kept of the original fortress. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, the château was besieged and damaged. It became an army food storage supply centre and prison. After the revolution it became the main prison for several surrounding departments. In 1822, a fire destroyed half of the château. Only the north wing and a few sections of the outside wall survived. It was then used as a school until 1912. From 1914 to 1998, it was owned by the Fleurry family who then sold it in 1998 to a Mr Torres. It has been partially restored and is now open for visits from May to September.

History

Population

See also